Private and public buildings with single or multiple tenant occupancy are typically required by building codes to install a fire alarm system that generally operates to detect and annunciate a fire event. Such a fire alarm system 50 is illustrated in FIG. 1 and has one or more fire sensing devices S1-S11, such as heat detectors and smoke detectors, and manual call point or pull station devices R1 and R2 referred to herein as fire reporting devices, each of which is in communication with the fire alarm system 50. When a sensor device is activated, the alarm system typically controls a notification appliance N1 or N2 (siren, strobe, public address speaker) to emit an alert to the building occupants that a fire event or condition may have been detected. Depending upon the building size and use, some or all of the sensor devices can be in wired or wireless communication with the control panel, and each sensor device can have a unique identifier that can be separately addressed by the control panel. Addressable fire alarm control panels can operate to periodically poll each sensor for information relating to the state of the sensor device to determine whether or not it has been activated, and as the location of each addressable sensor device is known, the control panel is then able to determine where in the building a fire event may be in progress. This location information can be used by someone monitoring the panel to contact the appropriate emergency personal (i.e., fire department) to deal with the alarm and to direct them to the source of the alarm or fire event within the building. Recently, fire alarm systems have been designed to receive and process information gathered from the sensor devices, and use the results to automatically notify, via an emergency response system 51, emergency personal to a fire event. Further, alarm systems can use the information received from the sensor devices to inform the emergency personnel where in the building they should look for a fire.
Depending upon the type and size of a building, it may be necessary for the occupants to evacuate in the event that a fire alarm system sounds an alert. Building codes typically require that a building evacuation plan is displayed inside a building in a position such that it can be readily viewed by occupants during a fire emergency. Such evacuation plans can be a floor plan showing the occupants the best means of egress from the building, such as a red line from the location of the evacuation plan to the best egress. Some fire alarm systems are also designed to provide a fire emergency evacuation plan to building occupants via a mobile or stationary communication device, such as a smart phone or a stationary computer. In the event of a fire emergency, a fire emergency message can be broadcast by the fire alarm system to each building occupant notifying the occupants of the best evacuation route from the building.
In addition to the fire alarm system operation described above, some systems are designed to control notification appliances with which they communicate to annunciate a fire event in stages by activating the notification appliance(s) positioned closest to a fire first, and then activating other notification appliances positioned further from the fire event at later times, for instance.
Buildings with installed fire alarm systems can also have a security system installed as well. Such a security system 55 is illustrated in FIG. 1. Security systems are available that monitor the authorized entry and exit of occupants from a building, and which monitor the authorized entry and exit of building occupants from certain areas within the building. The security system 55 has a number of card or keyed entry devices S20-S23 in communication with a security system control panel associated with system 55. Each time an individual is authorized to enter or leave the building via one of the entry devices, the entry device transmits information to the control panel indicative of the individuals identity. Further, the security control panel can store information relative to a location in the building where the individual works or lives, such as an office location or an apartment location. Such a security system is able to monitor both the number and location of the current occupants in a building. As with the fire alarm system 50, the security system 55 can be connected to an emergency response system 56 which can operate to notify emergency personal as to the current number and location of the occupants in a building. Such information can be very useful to emergency personnel who are tasked with the responsibility to ensure that all the occupants of a building are safely evacuated in the case of a fire emergency, for instance.
FIG. 2 shows a fire alarm system 250 and a security system 252 that are substantially similar to the respective systems 50 and 55 described earlier with reference to FIG. 1, with the exception that the fire alarm system 250 and the security system 252 are in communication with a supervisory system 251. The supervisory system 251 in this case operates to monitor the polling information gathered by the fire control panel and the security control panel, and can use this information to generate and send an alert message to an appropriate emergency agency.